Electromagnetic controlling device.



WINTHROP K. HOWE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, SSIGNOR TO GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, OF GATES, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTROMAGNETIC CONTBOLLING DEVICE.

Specification or Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1915.

T0 all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, 1Wmrriinor K. Hown, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Rochester, in the county of production of an electro-magnetic control ling device which will further act to decrease the current through the electric motor, which operates the automatic stop, when the stop has been placed in set position.

A further object of this invention is the production of an electro-magnetic controlling device which consumes a small amount of energy in holding an automatic stop in set position.

y Other objects and advantages will appear as the description of the invention progresses and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The ordinary and well known automatic stop has a biased danger position and a set position. The set position is obtained by moving the stop against its bias by an electric motor. Means are generally provided to cut the current off from the motor after it has placed the stop in the set position. Means are also provided,roperated by electric current, for holding the stop in set position after being moved lthereto by the motor. f

In applicants device the motor used for operating the stop has current continually applied while the stop is in .set position. This is done to obviate the necessity of electrical circuit controllers, which are highly objectionable in connection-I with a device such as an automatic stop, which is placed on or buried in the ground, as is well understood by those skilled in the railway signaling art. In order to decrease the current flow while the stop is in the set position and also to hold the stop from returning to the biased position when the current is reduced, applicant has invented the hereinafter described electro-magnetic' controlling device which accomplishes the desired result without the use of any electrical circuit controller other than that usedto make and break the circuit of the motor.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had lto the accompanying drawing, on which like characters of refer-. ence refer to like parts, and in which the applicant has shown a preferred form of mechanism embodying the principle of his invention and` in which -Figure 1 isa schematic view of an electro-magnetic controlling device and an automatic stop controlled thereby. Fig. 2, is the same as Fig. 1, except that all the parts are shown to correspond with the danger position of the automatic stop.

There are many situations in which the applicants electro-magnetic controlling device may be, employed, .but for the purpose of illustration the principle of the invention has been embodied in an electro-magnetic controlling deviceused in connection with a mechanism known in the railway signaling art as an automatic stop.

Referring to the drawing: l designates an arm, which may be called .the stop proper, supported by shaft 2. The shaft 2 maybe ournaled in any suitable or appropriate manner so that by a turning thereof the stop may assume either the set position shown in Fig. l or the danger or biased position shown in Fig. 2. The biased position is obtained by means of weight 4c shown as formed integrally with` sector 3, when no current is flowing to the motor. The electric motorv 5 shown in dotted lines has a shaft 6 on which pinion 7 is rigidly secured. The teeth on pinion 7 mesh with gear teeth 8 on the periphery of sector 3. The turning of sector 3 is limited by the stops 9 and 10. When electric current is applied to the terminals 11 andl2of electriomotorf, shaft 6 and pinion 7 y are caused to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction. The rotation of pinion 7 in a counter-clockwisedirection causes sector 3, .weight Ll, shaft 2 and arm 1 to rotate in a clockwise direction until they assume the position shown in Fig. 1.

13 designates a cam which is rigidly connected to shaft 6. 1n operative relation to cam 13 is an arm 14 pivoted on a pin 15. On the lower end of the arm a roller 16 is journaled on pin 17. The arm 14 is biased by gravity to assume the position shown in Fig. 2. A link 18 is connected to the arm 14 by a pin 19 and is connected to an armature 20 o1 the electro-magnet by a pin 21. IThe armature 20 is supported by and turns with shaft 22. An iron frame 23 has projections 24 and 25 which form the cores of the electro-magnet. Coils of wire 26 and 27 are the energizing coils of the magnet. l/Vhen the coils 26 and 27 are energized by the passage of electric current through them a magnetic iluX is caused to flow between the cores 24 and 25 passing through the armature 20. This causes a tendency for the armature to turn in a clockwise direction to assume the position shown in Fig. 1. When the armature 2O is in the position shown in Fig. 2 the air gaps between the core 24 and the armature, and between the core 25 and the armature are large so that induction in the magnetic circuit is low and impedance to the How of an alternating current in the coils 26 and 27 is small. l/Vhen the armature is in the position shown in Fig. 1 the air gaps between core 24 and the armature, and between the core 25 and the armature are small, so that induction in the magnetic circuit is high, causing large impedance in the coils 26 and 27.

A switch 28 controls the flow of an electric current from a source of electrical energy 29. l/Vhen the switch is open all the movable parts of the mechanism assume, on account of the action of gravity, the position shown in Fig. 2. Then the switch is closed the current flows from the source of electrical energy 29 through a wire 30, switch 28, wire 31, coil 26, wire 32, wire 33, coil 27, wire 34, terminal 11 of motor 5, terminal 12 and wire 35 back to the source of electrical energy 29. The impedance in the coils 26 and 27 is small on account of the position of the armature as described above and a large amount of current flows in the circuit causing a rotation of motor 5 and a tendency for armature 2O to turn. Armaturc 20 cannot turn and so increase the impedance in the circuit because it is connected to the arm 14 which is prevented rom swinging by cam 13 and stop 38.

A rotation of motor 5 causes the cam 13, sector 3, weight 4, and arm 1 to turn so as to assume the positions shown in Fig. 1. When the cam 13 assumes the position shown in Fig. 1 the arm 14 is forced by a turning of armature 20, into the notch 36 of the cam. The rotation of the motor is stopped because of sector 3 coming in contact with stop 10. The turning of armature 20 causes the impedance o1 the coils 26 and 27 to become large so as to reduce the electric current in the circuits to a small amount. rlhis reduces the torque of the motor 5, but the cam 14, weight 4, sector 3 and arm 1 are held in the position shown in Fig. 1 because the cam cannot turn in a counter-clockwise direction on account of roller 16 on arm 14 being held in contact with the edge 37 of the cam. rlhe electro-magnetic controlling device holds all of the movable parts of the automatic stop in the positions shown in Fig. 1 as long as switch 28 is closed with the expenditure of a small amount of energy, because the electric current in the circuit has been reduuced by the operation of armature 20 to a minimum.

`When the switch 28 is opened the flow of electric current is interrupted and the electro-magnet is denergized, so that the armature 2O is free to turn. The arm 14 assumes the position shown in Fig. 2 because of the action of gravity and also because of the turning of the cam, due to weight 4, in a clockwise direction which forces the arm 14 out of the notch 36. Cam 13, sector 3, weight 4 and arm 1 then assume the positions shown in Fig. 1.

It will be noted that the electro-magnet and motor 5 are connected in series in the electrical circuit so that if a wire should break the supply of electric current to both the motor and the electro-magnet would be interrupted and both the motor and the electro-magnet would become inoperative and all of the movable parts of the mechanism would assume the position shown in Fig. 2 and remain in that position, which position, as is well known to those skilled in the railway signaling art, is the danger position.

Although I have particularly described the construction of one physical embodiment of my invention, and explained the operation and principle thereof, nevertheless, l desire to have it understood that the form selected is merely illustrative, but does not exhaust the possible physical embodiments of the idea of means underlying my invention.

What l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. ln an electro-magnetic retaining device in combination: a device having a biased position and a set position; a motor; connections between the motor and the device for causing a movement of the device to set position upon an operation of the motor; a source of energy; a single circuit including the source of energy, the motor; and means for holding the device in set position and for decreasing the flow of current through the motor when the device is in set position.

2. In an electro-magnetic controlling device in combination: an electro-magnet; an armature in operative relation to the electromagnet; a pivoted member connected to the armature; an oscillatable disk formed with a notch therein for cooperation with the free end of the pivoted member; an electric motor; a connection between the motor and the disk for causing movement of the disk upon a movement of the motor; an electrical circuit including in series a source of current, the electro-magnet, the electric motor and a circuit controller; means connected to the disk for causing it to have a normal bias; the energization of the motor causing the disk to overcome its bias and move to a position such that the free end of the pivoted arm may be caused to move therein in response to a movement of the armature caused by the electro-magnet.

3. In an electro-magnetic controlling device in combination: an oscillatable disk; an electric motor; connections between the motor and the disk for causing the disk to turn in one direction to a set position; means for causing the diskto turn in the opposite direction to a biased position; asource of energy; a single electric circuit including the source of energy, the electric motor and means arranged for increasing the impedance of the circuit and for holding the disk when the said disk is moved to set position.

4. In an electromagnetic controlling device, in combination: a device having a biased position and a set position; a motor; connections between the motor and the device or causing a movement of the device to set position upon an operation of the motor; a source of energy; an electro-magnet; an armature controlled by the electro-magnet, said armature when in the denergized position occupying such position that the said magnet has a small impedance to the flow of alternating current; means preventing the armature from moving from the deenergized position except when the said device is in the set position, and a circuit including the said source, the motor and the electro-magnet.

5. In an electromagnetic controlling device, in combination: a device having a biased position and a set position; a motor, connections between the motor and the device or causing a movement of the device to set position upon an operation of the motor; a source of energy; an electromagnet; an armature controlled by the electromagnet, said armature when in the energized position occupying such position that the said magnet has a large impedance to the flow of alternating current; means preventing the armature assuming the energized position except when the said device is in the set position, and a circuit including the said source, the motor and the electro-magnet.

6. In an electromagnetic controlling device, in combination: a device having' a biased position and a set position; a motor, connections between the motor and the device or causing a movement of the device upon a movement of the motor; a source of energy; an electro-magnet; an armature controlled by the electro-magnet, said armature when in the denergized position occupying such position that the said magnet has a small impedance and when in the energized position such position that the magnet has a large impedance to the flow of alternating current; means preventing the armature from moving from the denergized or assuming the energized position except when the said device is in the set position, and a circuit including the said source, the motor and the electro-magnet.

7 In an electromagnetic controlling device; in combination: a device having a biased position and a set position; a motor for operating the device to set position; means other than the motor for holding the device when in set position; a source of energy; a single circuit including the source of energy, the motor and the said means and means for controlling the circuit.

WINTHROP K. IIOWE.

Witnesses:

LORETTA M. SPIEss, SOPHIE LEVIN.

Copies/of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

